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Solutions Guide

Learn how to create and manage solution themes for high-level competitive comparison.

Overview​

Solutions are high-level business value themes that group product categories into strategic differentiators. Unlike categories (which are product-specific), solutions span multiple products and enable executive-level strategic comparisons.

Key Concepts:

  • Solutions = High-level themes (e.g., "Enterprise Security", "Time to Value")
  • Categories = Product-specific capabilities (e.g., "Pricing", "Security", "Integrations")
  • Solutions span products: One solution can include categories from multiple products

Note: Solutions require PRO plan or higher.

What Are Solutions?​

Solutions group related categories into business outcomes:

Example Solution: "Enterprise Security"

  • Includes categories: Security (50% weight), Compliance (30% weight), Audit Logs (20% weight)
  • May span multiple products if you have different products with security features
  • Aggregated score represents overall "Enterprise Security" capability

Why Solutions Matter:

  • Executive Communication: C-level stakeholders think in solutions, not features
  • Strategic Positioning: Frame competition around business value, not technical specs
  • Multi-Product Comparison: Compare your entire portfolio against competitors
  • Progressive Disclosure: Start high-level, drill down to details when needed

Creating Solutions​

Manual Creation​

  1. Navigate to Settings > Solutions
  2. Click "Add Solution"
  3. Fill in the form:
    • Name: Clear business outcome name (e.g., "Enterprise Security", "Time to Value")
    • Description: Brief explanation of what this solution represents
    • Category Mappings: Add categories from your products with weights

Category Mappings​

Each solution includes category mappings that define:

  • Category: Which product category contributes
  • Product: Which product this category belongs to
  • Weight: How much this category contributes (0.0 to 1.0)

Weight Guidelines:

  • Higher weight = More important to the solution
  • Weights don't need to sum to 1.0 (they're normalized automatically)
  • Example: Security (0.5) + Compliance (0.3) + Audit Logs (0.2) = Total 1.0

AI-Generated Solutions​

Solutions can be AI-generated from your product categories:

  1. Navigate to Settings > Solutions
  2. Click "Generate Solutions" (when available)
  3. AI analyzes all products and categories
  4. Suggests 5-7 solution themes with category mappings
  5. Review and approve/modify suggestions

AI Generation Benefits:

  • Discovers patterns across products
  • Suggests strategic groupings
  • Saves time on initial setup
  • Can be edited after generation

Managing Solutions​

Editing Solutions​

  1. Go to Settings > Solutions
  2. Click "Edit" on any solution
  3. Modify:
    • Name and description
    • Product associations
    • Category mappings and weights
  4. Click "Save Solution"

Deleting Solutions​

  1. Go to Settings > Solutions
  2. Click "Delete" on a solution
  3. Confirm deletion in the modal
  4. Solution is removed from all matrices

Note: Deleting a solution removes it from the solution matrix view but doesn't affect underlying category matrices.

Using Solution Matrix​

Viewing Solution Matrix​

  1. Navigate to Matrix from the main menu
  2. Ensure "Solution View" is selected (default)
  3. Select competitors to compare
  4. Matrix displays solution rows × competitor columns

Understanding Scores​

Each cell shows an aggregated score (0-4, Harvey Ball level):

  • 4 (Full): Excellent capability in this solution
  • 3 (3/4): Strong capability
  • 2 (Half): Average/parity capability
  • 1 (1/4): Weak capability
  • 0 (Empty): Missing capability

Scores are calculated from weighted category scores:

aggregatedScore = Σ(categoryScore × weight) / Σ(weight)

Progressive Disclosure​

Click any solution row to expand and see:

  • Contributing categories
  • Which product each category belongs to
  • Category weights
  • Individual category scores

This allows you to:

  • Start with high-level strategic view
  • Drill down to technical details when needed
  • Understand how solution scores are calculated

Multi-Product Comparison​

Solution View enables comparing your entire product portfolio:

  • Solutions can include categories from Product A, Product B, etc.
  • One competitor comparison spans all your products
  • Strategic view of your complete offering

Example:

  • Solution "Enterprise Security" includes:
    • Security category from Product A (50% weight)
    • Compliance category from Product B (30% weight)
    • Audit Logs category from Product A (20% weight)
  • One matrix cell shows overall "Enterprise Security" score

Best Practices​

Naming Solutions​

  • Use business outcome language: "Enterprise Security" not "Security Features"
  • Focus on value: "Time to Value" not "Onboarding Process"
  • Keep names concise: 2-4 words maximum
  • Be specific: "Enterprise Data Portability" not "Data"

Weight Assignment​

  • Assign higher weights to more critical categories
  • Consider buyer priorities when setting weights
  • Review and adjust weights based on sales feedback
  • Don't over-weight: Keep weights balanced (0.2-0.6 range typically)

Category Selection​

  • Include 2-4 categories per solution (optimal range)
  • Too few categories: Solution lacks depth
  • Too many categories: Solution becomes unfocused
  • Choose categories that naturally group together

Multi-Product Solutions​

  • Only include categories from products that truly contribute
  • Avoid forcing categories into solutions
  • Consider product maturity when including categories
  • Document which products contribute to each solution

Solution Matrix vs Category Matrix​

When to Use Solution View​

  • Executive presentations: C-level stakeholders
  • Strategic planning: High-level competitive analysis
  • Multi-product comparison: Comparing entire portfolio
  • Sales enablement: High-level differentiation

When to Use Category View​

  • Technical validation: IT/engineering stakeholders
  • Feature comparison: Detailed capability analysis
  • Product-specific: Single product focus
  • Evidence review: Deep dive into specific categories

Exporting Solution Matrix​

Solution matrices can be exported to PowerPoint:

  1. In Matrix view with Solution View selected
  2. Click Export menu
  3. Select "Export Solution Matrix"
  4. PowerPoint deck includes:
    • Slide 1: Solution Matrix (high-level summary)
    • Slide 2+: Drill-down slides for each solution (showing categories)

Export Options:

  • Solution Matrix Only: High-level executive view
  • Category Matrix Only: Detailed technical view
  • Both: Complete deck with both views

Troubleshooting​

No Solutions Available​

If Solution View shows "No solutions configured":

  1. Go to Settings > Solutions
  2. Create your first solution manually
  3. Or use AI generation (when available)

Solution Scores Seem Incorrect​

Check:

  1. Category mappings: Are the right categories included?
  2. Weights: Are weights appropriate?
  3. Underlying category scores: Are category matrices up to date?
  4. Product associations: Are the right products included?

Categories Not Appearing​

Ensure:

  1. Categories exist in the products you're mapping
  2. Products are properly configured
  3. Category IDs match exactly